Collins Titans

 

4A District 3

 

Coach: Jerry Lucas (5th Season); Record (46-11, .807)

 

2013 Results: 13-2, 4A State Champions, defeated Highlands 37-34

 

Starters Returning: Kolton Alvey (OT), Trei Axline ©, Kyle Goss (OG), Wyatt Williamson (DE), Leland Cardwell (DT), Michael Nash (LB), Gabe Nash (LB), Bushy Wells (LB/SS), Quentin Murphy (FS), Blanton Creque (P/K)

 

Starters Lost: Michael Goss (OG), Kris Jones (OT), Lawson Page (QB), Ryan Watkins (RB), DeAndre Farris (WR/RB), Nathan Sames (WR), Landon Forrest (WR), Jordan Parker (WR), Mark Bradford (DT), Buck Wilson (DE), Masai Whyte (LB), Elijah Jones (CB), Isaiah Jones (CB)

 

Remember the Titans?

 

Who could forget the 2013 Collins Titans, who defeated Highlands in storybook fashion in arguably one of the best state championship games in recent history? But this is 2014, and the 18 seniors that started out as freshman the year the school opened and won over 80% of their games, leading their school to its first state championship have graduated. QB Lawson Page, a 3-year starter who threw for nearly 8,000 yards and 100 touchdowns is now at Morehead State with fellow Titans Nathan Sames, Ryan Watkins, and Kris Jones. DeAndre Farris and Masai Whyte, stars on the offensive and defensive side of the ball, respectively, are now teammates at Western Kentucky University. Many more of the 18 seniors have gone on to play at the NAIA and DIII level. They have left behind some big shoes to fill, but also a very solid foundation to build upon.

 

Although the Titans suffered some heavy losses on the offensive side of the ball, they will have a strong offensive line to build around, with 3 returning starters and 3 others who saw time as backups last year. Senior Browning Becherer will be under center for the Titans, a name that should be familiar to most around the state. Becherer saw most of his time last year at safety, but he also backed up his cousin Lawson Page at quarterback. Most of his snaps came in blowout wins, but Browning proved he can play under pressure too when he completed the state championship winning pass on 4th down with 12 seconds left. The backup quarterback this year will be Coach Jerry Lucas’s son, J.R. Lucas, an incoming freshman who has a very bright future. Browning will need to be a strong senior leader this year operating with a less experienced offense. No starters return at any of the skill positions, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t any talent left in those positions. Senior WR E.J. Burk has been playing behind and learning from a very talented group of 4 receivers, and this year it is finally his time to shine. Junior Dylan Siler should also have a good shot at starting at receiver and senior Gabe Nash, who has played primarily on the defensive side at linebacker, could see time at receiver due to his speed and athleticism. Coach Jerry Lucas has multiple options at running back. His main option looks to be senior Bushy Wells who has played linebacker the past two years for the Titans. Junior Levi Brown and Sophomore Sam Harrod also saw time at running back last year.

 

Collins returns a talented group on defense including 6 starters from 2013. However, one of those starters, junior safety Quentin Murphy, could be out for the year with an injury. On the defensive line, senior Wyatt Williamson returns at defensive end and will cause a lot of problems for the opposing team’s quarterback. Collins will be very strong at linebacker despite the loss of First Team All-State member Masai Whyte. Senior twins Gabe and Michael Nash along with senior Bushy Wells have a lot of speed and power and will be making plays all over the field. The trio combined for well over 200 tackles last year and Wells was second on the team with 98. Junior Leland Cardwell (6’1” 225) will move from defensive tackle to linebacker to help fill the void left by Masai Whyte. With the graduation of Elijah and Isaiah Jones, there are questions at cornerback as well as at safety with the injury to Quentin Murphy.

 

One advantage that the Titans will almost assuredly have over their opponents is special teams. Senior kicker Blanton Creque is ranked as one of the top kickers in the country and will not only help out in field position, but will also put points up on the board with field goals. He can hit consistently from 40+ and has a 55-yard range. Backup kicker Noah Bruner has a very strong leg as well.

 

Collins has had an incredible amount of success in their first four years as a school, winning 4 district, 3 regional, 2 semi-state, and 1 state championship. They hold a 46-11 overall record, including 16-1 vs. district opponents and 14-3 in the playoffs. Collins has never lost a game against a team in their current district and will hope to continue that winning streak this year. The Titans are the favorites to win their district yet again, but North Oldham and Spencer County are threatening. There are a few questions for the Titans going into the 2014 season. How will they replace such as talented senior class? Will they continue to maintain a high level of success or will they fall off a bit? Who will emerge as playmakers on offense? Who will become Browning Becherer’s top target in Jerry Lucas’ spread offense? Who in the west side of 4A can knock off Collins? Will the Titans be making their third trip in a row to Bowling Green in December? We will soon find out, because the 2014 season is just a few short weeks away.

 

Schedule:

 

Aug 22, 14 Simon Kenton away 7:30 PM

Aug 29, 14 South Oldham home 7:30 PM

Sep 5, 14 Ballard away 7:00 PM

Sep 12, 14 Shelby County home 7:30 PM

Sep 26, 14 Atherton home 7:30 PM

Oct 3, 14 Spencer County home 7:30 PM

Oct 10, 14 Central Hardin home 7:30 PM

Oct 17, 14 Waggener away 7:30 PM

Oct 24, 14 North Oldham away 7:30 PM

Oct 31, 14 Anderson County away 7:30 PM

 

Players to Watch:

 

Trei Axline, Jr., OL, 5’11”, 285 lbs.

Browning Becherer, Sr., QB, 5’11”, 185 lbs.

E.J. Burk, Sr., WR, 6’1”, 160 lbs.

Leland Cardwell, Jr., LB, 6’1”, 225 lbs.

Blanton Creque, Sr., K/P, 5’10”, 175 lbs.

Gabe Nash, Sr., LB, 5’8”, 155 lbs.

Antuan “Bushy” Wells, Sr., LB, 5’11”, 180 lbs.

Wyatt Williamson, Sr., DE, 6’5”, 240 lbs.

blueandblack, it seems that many think Collins to be a "one and done" team. Can you explain what I mean when I say "Collins High School is built for success", since you are closer to the program then I?

blueandblack, it seems that many think Collins to be a "one and done" team. Can you explain what I mean when I say "Collins High School is built for success", since you are closer to the program then I?

 

I think that assuming Collins will be "one and done" is not very smart because as you said the Collins program is "built for success". That doesn't mean they will be a monster every year, but the all of the pieces are in place to sustain success for a long time. Shelbyville has a great youth football program with great participation to start kids out early. At the middle school level, Shelby West Middle School feeds into Collins and does an excellent job of preparing kids for the high school level. They have great coaches at the middle school level and have a great tradition of success and good numbers as well. I think this past year they had 20-25 8th graders on a team that was very good (I think they only lost 1 or 2 games). West Middle has always been known for football and kids want to be a part of that program. Obviously not every kid that plays in middle school makes it all the way through varsity, but Collins has been able to translate numbers and success from middle school to high school. This past senior class that won a state championship had been playing together since 6th grade. At the high school level, Collins has the facilities, coaching, and support from the school and the community. Obviously with a brand new school comes very nice facilities. Collins doesn't have the best stadium, but the field is very nice as well as the locker rooms/weight room. It helps having a very modern school that has already established a reputation for academic success as well as athletic success. The administration at Collins cares about football a lot (they care about other sports as well) and the community is behind the team 100%, as evidenced by sponsorships and attendance. There is nothing but positivity surrounding the program. Collins has an excellent coaching staff led by Head Coach Jerry Lucas. Not only is he an offensive master mind, he is an even better person that all the kids love. The same can be said for all of the other coaches on his staff from Tom Becherer to William May to Brian Wigglesworth and others. I know a lot of fans say this, but Collins really does have a great coaching staff. The way that Coach Lucas has built his program in four years and the values and principles he has built it around are a recipe for success.

 

Another thing that Collins has going for them is location. The Collins school district is the western side of Shelby County, including most of the city of Shelbyville, and the rapidly growing city of Simpsonville a few miles west of Shelbyville. Simpsonville is a wealthy and diverse community that is going to grow even more now that the Outlet Shoppes of the Bluegrass are open (tomorrow). Since it is located just 10-20 minutes from Louisville, the Simpsonville/Shelby County area has become a very popular place to live and it will only continue to grow as it becomes more developed. Collins will likely have 5A numbers at the next realignment as population continues to grow. The cities of Simpsonville and Shelbyville traditionally produced most of the talent at Shelby County, and will continue to do the same at Collins.

 

When you take into account all the things Collins has going for them - feeder program, coaching, facilities, support, location, talent, academics, and population growth - Collins certainly has the potential to have plenty of success beyond its first four years.

 

Now let me warn you, this does not mean that Collins will be great every year. In fact, this upcoming season Collins certainly won't be as good as last year and may struggle at times. However, if Collins does have a "down year", don't expect them to be down for long.

Another thing that Collins has going for them is location. The Collins school district is the western side of Shelby County, including most of the city of Shelbyville, and the rapidly growing city of Simpsonville a few miles west of Shelbyville. Simpsonville is a wealthy and diverse community that is going to grow even more now that the Outlet Shoppes of the Bluegrass are open (tomorrow). Since it is located just 10-20 minutes from Louisville, the Simpsonville/Shelby County area has become a very popular place to live and it will only continue to grow as it becomes more developed. Collins will likely have 5A numbers at the next realignment as population continues to grow. The cities of Simpsonville and Shelbyville traditionally produced most of the talent at Shelby County, and will continue to do the same at Collins.

All great information, the above is what I was looking for to answer my question. Collins is in an area that will produce success.

I grew up in Shelby County before moving to WKY it's cool to see Collins doing so well. Do some community members feel bad for Shelby County rockets who seem to got the short end of the stick on district lines?